1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designs in general, and in particular to a method for improving power performance in ASIC designs. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method for providing a cell-based ASIC device with multiple power supply voltages in order to achieve optimum power performance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally speaking, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) device has two main types of circuits, namely, primary input/output circuits and core circuits. The primary input/output circuits enable the ASIC device to communicate with other electronic components located within an electronic system. The core circuits perform various functions for which the ASIC device is intended, such as data processing, data computations, controls, etc. With the development of sub-micron technology processes, very large functions can be incorporated within a single ASIC device.
According to conventional ASIC design methods, all core circuits within an ASIC device are operated at one power supply voltage. However, in many system applications, power dissipation limits the logic functions that can be designed in an ASIC device. Since not all the parts of the logic functions within an ASIC device operate at a maximum system frequency, power supply voltage for those slower circuits that operate at a lower frequency can be reduced such that the total power dissipation of the ASIC device can be decreased accordingly. Consequently, it is desirable to provide a method for designing cell-based ASIC devices with multiple power supply voltages in order to achieve optimum power performances.